Sizzling Cuban band to warm up springtime at LSSU

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Sault Ste. Marie Evening News - Sault Ste. Marie, MI

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Posted Apr. 7, 2013 at 12:30 PM

Posted Apr. 7, 2013 at 12:30 PM

Sault Ste. Marie

Hot off its third Grammy Best Tropical Album nomination for “Bach in Havana,” and the release of its new album, “My Secret Radio,” the sizzling, dance-inducing Cuban music group Tiempo Libre will throw one big Cuban party on April 19 at the Lake Superior State University Arts Center.

Tiempo Libre’s show is a dynamic, passionate performance of timba music – an exciting and engaging combination of Latin jazz and traditional Cuban song. The band’s goal is to serve as ambassadors to Cuba’s musical heritage while celebrating the American experience. According to band members, there hasn’t been a concert yet where people haven’t gotten out of their seats to dance.

The seven-man band started as friends who were influenced by Miami radio stations that they pulled in to their radios through a coat-hanger antenna. The group eventually made it to Miami, and it wasn’t long before they were nominated three times for Grammy Awards.

Tiempo Libre has performed its timba music all around the world, and still enjoys mixing their cultural beats with sounds of America, including jazz and cultural music.

“Tiempo Libre” is continued on Page 2A

At LSSU, the band will perform high-energy music featuring songs from “My Secret Radio,” a CD inspired by the band’s days of secretly listening to American radio, “Bach in Havana,” as well as selections from two other Grammy-nominated timba albums, “Lo Que Esperabas” and “Arroz Con Mango.”

Mother Jones magazine noted, “Their music is contagiously celebratory. The snappy motion of Afro-Cuban conga beats creates the illusion of a fast-forwarded video clip. It’s no wonder timba music is associated with twisting, thrusting hips and shoulders. High notes pop off the keyboard, while funk is pulled through the bass. A sort of call-and-response plays out between the jazzy trumpet, saxophone, flute, and swinging Spanish lyrics mourning love lost and liberties gained.”

The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the LSSU Norris Center box office, (906) 635-2602, or online at lssu.edu/artscenter. General admission, senior, and student seats are available.

See and hear more at tiempolibremusic.com. Tiempo Libre’s performance at LSSU is supported, in part, by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.